20th Century Studios’ second trailer for The First Omen finds a priest warning a nun to be very careful around one particular orphan. Why? Because bad things will start to happen around her. Evil things.
Servant‘s Nell Tiger Free stars as the nun who feels protective of the peculiar orphan in the prequel to The Omen. The cast also includes Tawfeek Barhom (Mary Magdalene), Sonia Braga (Kiss of the Spider Woman), Ralph Ineson (The Northman), Charles Dance (Game of Thrones), and Bill Nighy (Living).
Arkasha Stevenson (Channel Zero) directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Tim Smith and Keith Thomas, based on characters created by David Seltzer. David S. Goyer and Keith Levine served as producers, with Tim Smith, Whitney Brown, and Gracie Wheelan executive producing.
“When a young American woman is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, she encounters a darkness that causes her to question her own faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate,” reads 20th Century Studios’ synopsis.
The first film adaptation of Seltzer’s bestselling novel was released in theaters in June 1976. Starring Gregory Peck and Lee Remick, the R-rated horror film grossed $60+ million during its theatrical run and earned two Oscar nominations, winning for Best Original Score (Jerry Goldsmith). Damien: Omen II with Lee Grant, William Holden, and Jonathan Scott-Taylor followed in June 1978, and Omen III: The Final Conflict with Sam Neill as Damien premiered in 1981. The fourth film, Omen IV: The Awakening, debuted in 1991.
Liev Schreiber and Julia Stiles took over the lead roles in the critically panned remake released in 2006. And the story of the son of the Devil also made its way to television in A&E’s 2016 series Damien starring Bradley James as the titular character.
The First Omen is set to open in theaters on April 5, 2024, the weekend after Easter.
